Councillors in the Royal Borough have approved the £500 million mixed-use Nicholson Quarter in Maidenhead town centre.
The council’s Maidenhead development management committee unanimously approved plans by Areli for a mixed-use scheme to replace the ailing Nicholson’s Centre, but not without an added condition to ensure safe parking is provided.
The issue had proved a sticking point at the committee’s September meeting when a decision was deferred and a request made for more information on parking and retail.
Of the 452 spaces provided in the scheme, only 100 are for shoppers.
Now councillors have decided officers should negotiate with the developer over a contribution towards safe parking of between £250,000 and £600,000.
Cllr Helen Taylor told the meeting more information on parking and retail, requested at the September deferral, had not been provided.
She went on: “The fact of the matter is if we don’t get car parks that this development is relying on, to a set standard, nobody is coming into this town centre.
“Most of the population will not come and the development will fail, the retail will fail, nobody is going to be coming to these events.
“This is so important. I’m not in the business of being awkward, although some of my friends might actually contest that, but this is a real concern for a lot of residents and we’re trying to make a compromise and give another way around this.”
The Nicholson Quarter will provide 856 homes and 55 retail units.
The scheme is an amended version of the original, which was approved in October 2022.
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